July fourth was a patriotic day. Flags, ceremonies, national anthem, fireworks. Did these events make you any more patriotic? What does it mean to be patriotic? What is a good citizen? If nothing else, Christians ought to be good citizens, patriotic. Especially in America Christians ought to be patriotic, because our heritage is such a clear work of God.

Let me ask the question this way: "what did you do on last Friday (the 4^th) that you would term "Patriotic?" What does it mean to be "patriotic?" Waving flags? Bumper stickers that declare, "America, love it or leave it?"

Let me try to define patriotism this morning. And I would like to try to define it in light of God’s commands in Romans 13.

I. Patriotism means OBEDIENCE to Governmental authorities (1-2) - Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

God commands us to be "subject" to our authorities. The word "subject" means to "yield to" to "obey," to "support." "Subject" is the same word used for wives to "submit" to their husbands (Eph 5:24). It is the same word used in Eph 5:21 of everyone in the church being in submission to one another. It means to line yourself up under an authority so that you can obey it and support it.

This is a broad command. It is not qualified by the type of government, the quality of government, or the righteousness of the government. Whatever your government, line yourself up under it to obey and support it. When Paul wrote this, Nero was the Caesar in Rome, but that didn’t matter to Paul. God says that we should obey.

WHY? because God ordained government. Authorities have been set up by God. They have been arranged in their places and given their rule from God. God started civil government in Genesis 9, where He gave Noah directions for creating governmental authority. Daniel 2:21 says, "[God] removes kings and raises up kings." Daniel 4:17 says, "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men."

Thus our American government is not just some man made operation. This is part of God’s rule on earth. God rules His world thru human government.

As a result, verse 2 says that those who resist governmental control resist GOD! The word "resist" here is the same root word as the word "submit," only with the prefix changed. Instead of "under" (line yourself up under), it’s the prefix anti meaning "against" (to line yourself up against). Be careful when you become independent of governmental rules. You may be standing yourself up against God.

All through the Bible we find this emphasis on respect for authority. For example, in Titus 3: "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."

In I Peter 2, Peter commands, "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men -- 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."

Do you appreciate and support our government? Do you appreciate and support our Prince Georges county police department? The PG county Fire department? Whether you know it or not, we have an excellent system of government in America and in Bowie. I am impressed with our Prince Georges policemen. I had the privilege of meeting several of them one night when I traveled with Dan Robb. I have been impressed with our Bowie Firemen and women, several of whom we have had here at BBC. Sara and Vars spoke of how amazingly quickly the AA county fire department responded to their call for help when their house was burning. Had they been 5 minutes later, it probably would have been a totally different story. I am impressed with some of the people President Bush as collected around himself. Many of them are quite successful in their special realm and have interrupted their career journeys to contribute to our country. I find that very commendable.

For example, National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice. A BA in Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Univ of Denver (at the age of 19), MA from Notre Dame, PhD from the Graduate School of International Studies at the Univ of Denver. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College, the Unive of Alabama, the University of Notre Dame. She has written a book on Germany Unified and Europe Transformed, a book on the Gorbachev Era, and a book on The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army. She also has written numerous articles on Soviet and East European foreign and defense policy. She is a member of the board of directors for the Chevron Corp, the Charles Schwab Corp, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Univ of Notre Dame, the International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan and the San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors. What a resume! And she is part of the team that is ruling over you and me.

God says appreciate and obey the people He has placed over you. Patriotism is obedience to Government as an act of obedience to God.

II. Patriotism means supporting Governmental leaders in their God-given goal. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Police carry handcuffs for an important reason. God has raised them up to restrain evil people. Look at these words in verses three and four: "terror," "bears the sword," "avenger," "executes wrath." At first glance those phrases may sound a little strong. Wrath? Terror? But that is God’s purpose -- to bring His wrath and judgment against those who do wrong.

Some will say, "but where is the LOVE of God?" The simple fact is that you can’t have the Love of God until you have the jealousy of God and the wrath of God. If God loves babies, how should He respond when people kill them? Love has to have justice, and wrath connect to it to be proper love.

Love for His creation means that God treats evil doers with force. The simple truth is that some people do not understand anything other than force. They are determined to do what they want to do until someone with more power interrupts their plans. Policemen are God-ordained "interrupters." They are God’s ministers for WRATH. Sometimes people cry "police brutality" when it is God-given WRATH.

Think about the enormous responsibility we place on our Policemen and women today. They are walking continually on that fine line of hurting or getting hurt, pulling their trigger before they get shot, evaluating quickly the motives and intentions of everyone with which they deal. Their responsibilities are not easy.

All of this is the blessing of God upon us. He has given us the privilege of living in a country at peace, of living under hired officials who are successfully accomplishing the will of God on earth by keeping the peace. They may be unbelievers, they may have no concept of their higher calling, and the fact that they are accomplishing God’s desires on earth. But they are keeping the peace. Christians should be their greatest support. Christians should be the best citizens a country has. Augustine says that Christians are the "salvation of the commonwealth" (Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, 246). Because of their desire to love and obey God, they should have no trouble supporting the purpose of Government.

Some people don’t understand the purpose of Government and think that it should be "peaceful" and "tolerant." They try to apply Romans 12:17-21 to the government (where it commands us not to repay evil for evil). So governments should not execute murderers or serial rapists. But the command of Romans 12 is given to individuals. We, by ourselves, are not to pay back evil when we have been badly treated. But don’t apply that command to governments, because God's vengeance is executed through civil government.

Others try to apply the 6^th commandment to government, and say that governments should obey "thou shalt not murder." Therefore capital punishment is against the ten commandments. But that command does not fit the responsibility God gave to governments. He intends them to "carry the sword" and use it to execute his "wrath" against those who do wrong.

How does God intend that we support our leaders? There are two primary ways: by our prayers and by our money. Prayer is the place to start. Look at the command God gave in I Timothy: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

When Paul says, "first of ALL" he is emphasizing the importance of this kind of prayer. "Give it your priority," he is saying. "Make it the first thing you do; pray for your leaders, because your prayers affect the kind of life you lead."

This Prayer involves four parts: (1) supplication; (2) prayers; (3) intercessions; (4) thanksgiving; and it is directed toward "everyone" and primarily for kings (leaders) and authorities ("elevated ones"). "Pray for everyone in the world, that they will come to Jesus Christ as their Savior, and pray for their leaders, that these leaders might be effective in stopping crime, so that the people of the world might lead a quiet and peaceable life."

Why should we do this? Because God works his will in this world through leaders, even when they are not Christians, even when they are Muslims, or Buddists, or whatever. He says in Isaiah 45 to a leader named Cyrus (who He calls His "anointed"): "I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me" (Isaiah 45:4). God had no problem working His plan through such men as Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, and Pharoah, even though they apparently had no concept of His Glory and power. Warren Wiersbe says, "You and I have such a low view of the sovereignty of God that we don't really believe that, when we pray for people in authority, God can work. If the truth were known, we'd find out that the machinery of the world is run by prayer. That's what Andrew Murray wrote: `God rules the world by the prayers of his saints'" (Something happens when churches pray, 74).

Do you pray "first of all" for everyone in the world, and for the leaders of the world? We are praying that policemen might be successful in their battle against crime, that national leaders might be successful in their quest for peace. And that through this blessing of God, people might come to know Jesus Christ. President Bush begins his six day tour of Africa tomorrow. We need to pray that his trip will be profitable for all involved.

III. Patriotism means giving of yourself to pay Governmental leaders (5-7) Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

God expects us to support the government which He has set up. Our money, our honor, our respect supports the structure He has established. Prayer is the first step; paying is the second step.

We are responsible for their needs because they are serving us. They are the primary reason why we can live lives of peace and freedom. They are actually termed, "God’s ministers" (6). They are "full time" ministers, "attending continually to this very thing" of keeping the peace. If somebody didn’t do that, how long do you think it would be before Bowie erupted into chaos and we all had to bar our windows and buy guns. Therefore it is our obligation before God to support them.

I recognize the state and participate in supporting government by paying my taxes. By paying my taxes, I am supporting an administration which, consciously or unconsciously is a minister (the same word for "priest") of God. God is not into tax evasion. He is into payment for services rendered. We do this for conscience sake, to maintain a clear conscience.

Thus taxes are debts that we owe (7). We enjoy the benefit of the protection and authority of this country, and we have a duty to pay our debts. WHAT INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS WE RECEIVE FROM OUR GOVERNMENT! Think of how much we receive in protection and services for the little we contribute in taxes. This is a tremendous DEAL! Think of what others receive (in Eastern Europe for example) (or Nigeria, where everything involves a payoff) for a greater percentage of their income.

Our opportunities to pay our debt come in at least four different forms: "taxes" (we know what those are), customs (taxes levied on imported and exported goods) (perhaps sales taxes), "respect" (the way we respond to people in offices of authority), and "honor" (the value we place on governmental leaders).

Here are our ways of paying off our enormous debt to this wonderful country that God has established. Don’t think that you can disobey God in this area and have a warm relationship with Him. Your prayer life is affected by how you pay your taxes.

IV. Patriotism means giving of yourself to meet needs of others (8-10). 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

There is both a negative and a positive command here. "Stop owing to anyone even one thing" is the negative. That is, do not continue owing a person. Pay your debts. When the King James version says, "owe no one anything" we get the impression that it is wrong to have any kind of legal debt. "Don’t borrow any money, even to buy a car, or house or start a business." But that’s not what Paul is saying. He is not against debts; he is against debts that you are not paying off. As long as you are paying off your debts according to the amortization schedule, you are fine. Don’t withhold from any person what you own them. Don’t stop paying on your home-equity loan because you are a Christian and the Lord is coming back.

The positive command is to "LOVE ONE ANOTHER." Because you are a member of the human race, there is one debt you should never feel you have paid off. That is the debt to love and help others.

Why would a command to love appear in a political section? Because so many people think that the government should meet their neighbor’s need. Someone else should meet their neighbor’s need. But we support our government by doing our job to help one another. We participate in government as we love one another. Government cannot legislate love. There is no command that says, "you have to love." Thus governments depend upon examples for the positive characteristics like love. Here is how Christian citizens can play such an important role in our government. They bring the example of human love to civic life. They help encourage a social consciousness whereby people do good out of compassion rather than compulsion (Colson, 246).

This is what happened when the church first began in Acts 2. One of the first indications that the Holy Spirit was active in the lives of the first disciples was their sacrifice for others. They were actually selling their possessions and giving them away to those with need. How would BBC react if I announced today that we were to sell something this week and come next Sunday to give the proceeds to the needy around us? Sell something. Don’t just give a dollar out of your hundred. Sell something that is valuable to you and bring it next week and we will collect the money and give it to the poor. That kind of sacrifice is the testimony that our American government needs.

Let me give you an example of Romans 13:8-10 at work — in the life of an 11 year old boy. Trevor Ferrell, at the age of 11, in December of 1983 saw a television news report on Philadelphia’s inner-city homeless. He couldn’t believe that people actually lived on the streets. When he questioned his parents, Frank and Janet, they reluctantly agreed to broaden their son’s sheltered horizons, as well as their own, by leaving their home in an exclusive suburb and driving downtown.

A block past city hall, they spotted an emaciated figure crumpled on a sidewalk grate. While his parents watched a bit apprehensively, Trevor got out of the car and approached the man.

"Sir," he said, "here’s a blanket for you." The man stared up at Trevor at first. Then, "thank you," he said softly. "God bless you."

That encounter altered the Ferrells’ lives forever. Night after night they drove downtown, trying in small ways to help the street people. They emptied their home of extra blankets, clothing, and dozens of peanut-butter sandwiches. When others learned what they were doing, someone donated a van and volunteers charted nightly food distribution routes. To the Ferrells’ surprise, "Trevor’s Campaign" had begun.

Nightly now, the blue van travels the downtown streets of Philadelphia. It stops first to deliver food to the residents of Trevor’s Place, a ramshackle rooming house where some of the formerly homeless now live. Then it proceeds to feed the hungry people gathered on sidewalk grates and street corners.

Asked how these handouts can make a difference in the complex business of helping the homeless, Frank Ferrell sighs. "We’re trying to meet short-term needs and figure out ways to bring long-term changes to these people’s lives. Sometimes it seems like just a band-aid. But this is how we build relationships. These people become our friends, and they trust us to help them in bigger ways.

Frank pauses for a moment, looking at the landscape of broken bottles and bodies. "There are plenty of struggles. But I know one thing: giving has made all the difference in my Christian life. I used to just read the Scriptures. Now I feel like I’m living them" (from Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, 255-257).

Trevor is an example of what government cannot command us to do, but depends upon us to do, as an example of how good citizenship should be lived out.

What is Patriotism? (1) It is OBEDIENCE to Governmental authorities. (2) It is ACTIVE SUPPORT for Governmental purposes. (3) It is giving of your money, time and effort to support our Government. (4) And it is giving of your time, talent, and treasures to support others around you.

Are you PATRIOTIC? Not just do you hang a flag out on the fourth, and have a sign on your truck that says, "America, love it or leave it," but are you actively supporting the US Government as directed in Romans 13? This does not mean that we have to agree with all the decisions of the Supreme Court, but it means that we obey, we encourage, we pay taxes appreciatively, we sacrifice for others.

07/06/03, BBC